"I've owned a lot of sports cars and this is a fun little car with great gas mileage. It doesn't have the acceleration,handling, and fun factor as a Porsche Boxster but makes up for that with reliability over the boxster. The retractable hardtop can have issues with operation. Possible issues can be cables and connections. I do all my own maintenance and repair."

FUN SPORTY CAR FOR THE MONEY ATTENTION GETTER

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

8/10

Value

8/10

Reliability

9/10

Quality

8/10

Performance

7/10

Styling

9/10

Comfort

7/10

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 8

"LOTS OF FUN FOR THE MONEY (BLUEBOOK SHOWS THEY ARE VERY LOW IN VALUE) MINE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION IS WORTH AROUND $4,400
PROBLEM IS TRY TO FIND ONE AT THAT PRICE THIS IS PRIVATE PARTY VALUE. BUY DRIVE AND ENJOY THEY WILL NOT BRING
ANYTHING AT TIME OF RE- SALE REGARDLESS OF CONDITION.
THEY LOOK LIKE THEY COST SO MUCH MORE THAN THEY ARE ACTULLY WORTH"

I love the SLK230 so much I am buying another one.

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

10/10

Value

10/10

Reliability

10/10

Quality

10/10

Performance

10/10

Styling

10/10

Comfort

10/10

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I am the original owner and bought it as the first one made for the USA! I love it so much I am getting a new one in 2014! I have 68,400 miles on this one! I wouldnt even get another car except my company benefits qaualify me for a new car and it is the only one I really enjoy driving out several autos I own."

Wonderful but expensive to maintain

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

5/10

Value

7/10

Reliability

5/10

Quality

6/10

Performance

8/10

Styling

8/10

Comfort

7/10

"This is a beautiful car that I adore driving. Love how it handles, and the responsiveness. The repair costs are really high every time - the least I have spent on any single maintenance is $500 and the most was about $5000."

Speed and comfort

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

10/10

Value

10/10

Reliability

10/10

Quality

10/10

Performance

10/10

Styling

10/10

Comfort

10/10

"I bought this 2002 SLK 32 in January 2009. It is very fast , handles great and nice body style for an older Benz. The hard top convertible gives maximum security and folds down quick and easy. I would recommend this car to anyone who likes to have fun when driving. Don't tell my wife I bought it because she might want to drive it. LOL"

"First, this is a two seat roadster and definitely not made for 6-footers and taller. You will feel like a sardine going into a can. Also, it is standard with a manual transmission, so if shifting is not for you then neither is this car. Other than that this car gets the highest possible ratings from me. I am old enough (80) to have drive many manual transmission cars and this is by far the best shifting car I have ever driven. More than enough power for any driving we do here in the states. Who needs to go 140 mph? It handles and corners like it is on a rail. The hard top is great, but you pay the price in trunk space when it is down. Bottom line: How else can you have a sporty luxury car this cheaply. No one will know by looking at it that you paid so little!"

"My 2000 Ford Explorer was giving me problem so I decided to look for another car. I found this beauty of a car that was priced for $9995. It's a 1998 with only 39K miles when I bought it. YES, 39K MILES. I felt like I just bought a new SLK Mercedes for under $10K. It runs perfectly.
I bought from a used car lot dealer who claims the previous/original owner was a doctor who never used it.
I scored big time on this car and it runs perfectly."

I really like this car....but

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

8/10

Value

8/10

Reliability

9/10

Quality

9/10

Performance

9/10

Styling

9/10

Comfort

5/10

"I had a 1979 450 SL for 25 years.....yes, 25 years, and when I had to give it up (because of difficulty to get parts,) it only had 150K miles on it. I just LOVED that car so much! . I agreed to let it go ONLY if my husband bought me another Mercedes sports type. I really love my SLK the car.....WITH THE EXCEPTION of a very rough ride, compared to other cars and especially compared to my "old" Mercedes. I find that you "feel" everything, even small bumps and small chinks in the road. That has been my only disappointment. I probably should have taken it on a longer test drive of a variety of surfaces. I noticed that most reviews out here rarely give it a 5 for comfort, so I guess I am not alone. It is also a little pricey for maintenance, and not great resale value. I do, however really love my little red car and the retractable roof, "zoom" pickup, and the gas mileage etc. I just wish it was "smoother and quieter" to drive. I would recommend it to others, but with that warning and tell them to test drive it a lot to be sure they are OK with that."

Fun to Drive

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

7/10

Value

7/10

Reliability

8/10

Quality

8/10

Performance

8/10

Styling

9/10

Comfort

8/10

"I've owned this 2001 SLK320 since buying it new. It's a great fun car for short distance trips. The trunk is tiny even with the top up and that limits its practicality. My golf clubs fit only if I put the driver on the passenger seat. Forget fitting a pair of skis inside the car. Winter driving can be tricky. It comes with summer tires. I have driven only 28,000 miles on it in 6 years. The car has a solid Mercedes feel. The manual 6 speed stick is not up to sport car standards. Acceleration is very good. Braking is excellent. Handling is also excellent. I have had no major repair issues but routine maintenance at the dealer is off-the wall expensive - like $460 to replace 12 spark plugs. I get about 25-27 mpg. A negative is resale price depreciation. Quality and engineering is good except for areas like placing the spare doughnut tire under a wheelwell cover that is awkward to remove."

"Bought this new in 1/02. Best car I have ever owned-believe it or not-only one repair for the "high" setting on a drivers heated seat when new. No other repair! Love the Flame Red color with Charcoal leather. Still get thumbs up and people asking about it when I take it out for a spin. Excellent gas mileage and Bose Stereo is still the best. Never owned a car so long-no plans on selling anythime soon."

I've owned 2 SLKs...

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

8/10

Value

9/10

Reliability

9/10

Quality

9/10

Performance

9/10

Styling

9/10

Comfort

7/10

"I have owned two of these, a 1999 SLK 230 and a 2001 SLK 320. Both are essentially the same trim/body package. Beautiful cars to look at, very reliable, very fun to drive. However, VERY expensive to repair even small problems. Also, not very comfortable at all, even for a roadster. Feels like a go-cart on rough roads. The SLK 230 with the supercharged four is ok in power and good on gas, but a bit slow, especially compared to the 3.2 liter 6 the 320 comes with. The 320 is much quicker and feels more like a true roadster. Overall, a tremendous value. You can pick up one in excellent condition, with less than 50k miles for $15k or less. No better value for a roadster, especially a retractable hardtop! Great cars."

hm

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

6/10

Value

7/10

Reliability

7/10

Quality

7/10

Performance

9/10

Styling

9/10

Comfort

8/10

"this is a wonderful fun vehicle to drive - however it has been in the shop numerous times and always for at least a minimum of 1 week each time. Thank goodness I have the extended warrranty so each visit only cost the deductible of $50 - the repairs have been for major items - replace roof seals, oil pan gasket leak, differential leak, blower motor for ac and heat, 2 new radios, etc etc - wonderful vehicle - just get the extended warranty!!"

"This is such a beautiful car and it drives so well. The obvious feature of the hardtop convertable is so nice to have. When its up, its a coupe. When its down, its a convertable. Its quick, handles great, and its an eye catcher. It looks great in red! Please, please buy a warranty. You'll drop a couple grand on one simple repair without one and they do break. Its the simple little features on the car that break and you can barely drive it them being broken. Yes, in 2011 there are still great warranties for these cars, you just need to know who to buy the car from. I sold mine because my warranty expired. I'm going to buy another one in the next year or two. I miss it."

GREAT Little machine

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

9/10

Value

9/10

Reliability

10/10

Quality

9/10

Performance

10/10

Styling

10/10

Comfort

8/10

"I bought my 2003 SLK230 (second one) in 2006 with 25K miles on it and just love to drive it. I'm 70 now and decided to get it as my last car. It is everything I need in a car; small, economical, sharp looker, and a cool convertible! But beware of two things; First, maintenance is expensive at the dealership (they are always upselling service) and Mercedes wiggled out of the extended warranty that came with the car because I bought it from a non-approved (non MB) dealer. Why that should degrade the car is beyond me????"

Still looks great!

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

7/10

Value

8/10

Reliability

8/10

Quality

8/10

Performance

9/10

Styling

9/10

Comfort

8/10

"I bought my 2001 SLK in 2005 with 40K miles. Currently I'm at 150K miles commuting approx. 100 miles daily.
No maintenance until I went just over 100K miles (when warranty expried, of course). That year I had two $2K repairs plus the 12K mile maintenance which I always have the dealer take care of.
Although a bit on the expensive side for maintenance and it hasn't held value real well, I would still recommend this fun little car.
I drive mountain freeways and have to compete with large freight trucks. There is plenty of power (even uphill) to get out of the way of a big truck.
And, even though she's 8 yrs old, most people think she's new. The body style is still very good looking and except for the console (finish is flaking) the interior is also in great shape.
I hope to own her for a good long time."

Great car for everything

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

10/10

Value

10/10

Reliability

10/10

Quality

10/10

Performance

9/10

Styling

10/10

Comfort

8/10

"This car performs and looks great. I bought this car with 112,000 miles from family member who owned it since new.
It has 125,000 miles now and with proper care and scheduled maintenance, I believe the car will last for a long time.
I had minor problems like engine coil was loosed and had to be tighten, trunk struts replaced, and of course there are routine maintenance and fair and wear replacement that need to be performed like replacing tires and oil changes.
Other minor issue I wish I could fix is that the center console plastic/rubber coating is coming off and there is nothing I know to fix it. Other than that I have no complains.
I love driving this car, I wish it came with 6 cylinder but it has enough power and good gas mileage to offset the bigger engine requirement.
The car is not for long drive over 1 hour, but can be done with frequent stops and rest. As long as this car is taken care of, the car will last for a long time. This car was built solid.
Because of this car's performance, reliability, and value. I'm considering purchasing another SLK."

Great car!

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

9/10

Value

9/10

Reliability

10/10

Quality

9/10

Performance

9/10

Styling

9/10

Comfort

9/10

"I purchased this car used from a private party with less than 10k miles. I've had it for over 4 years now and have had NO major issues. I'm over 100k miles now and it still runs perfectly. I would reccomend this car to anyone looking for a vehicle in this class - it's been a dream! Some minor interior issues with the "coating" on the center console (it tends to peel in areas), but I believe that's been corrected on newer models."

Fun Keeper

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

10/10

Value

10/10

Reliability

10/10

Quality

10/10

Performance

10/10

Styling

9/10

Comfort

9/10

"This baby was bought new in San Francisco in late 1998 and only has 17k miles on it. I save it for special occasions and whenever I look at the cheap used price, I decide again to keep it and pass it on down the family. I use it for fun trips and it is a joy to drive."

A comfortable, stylish head-turner

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

9/10

Value

9/10

Reliability

10/10

Quality

10/10

Performance

9/10

Styling

10/10

Comfort

10/10

"I remember, when i took a test-drive of this german beast with my good friend, he told me that all the way through the test-drive I had a grin on my face and I knew that this is totally my kinda machine.
The most amazing feature it has is the Hard-top which goes in the trunk in a very Transformers style. And even with the top up it looks very classy. The engine has 215 horses under its belt which I think is more than enough for this stallion. The transmission is very smooth and fast to get to speed quickly. I like having two options in the transmission where you can choose between Wet 'W' and Standard 'S'. The difference is that when it is on 'W' it starts on second gear instead of first to reduce the slippery effect of the Wet road. The comfort is amazing as you can choose from many adjustable features to suite your ease which adds a lot to the whole experience. The handeling on this baby is marvelous and the safety features make it excellently reliable. It even indicates how many miles you have till your next service is due, which is usually 10,000 miles between every service. All in all, I am very happy with my decision to buy this car and I dont think I can go wrong with it for a long time."

"SLK, Boxter, Z4, or S2000 ....that's a common question.
The SLK is the winner. Conservative but elegant styling, luxury/sporty driver, hardtop, and very reliable.
Be certain to have MB conduct a pre-purchase inspection in addition to to CARFAXing the vehicle. These are wonderful cars but like all in their class there can be minor issues with ome and you can easily avoid them.
You'll always crave the Boxter, "there is no substitute", but the SLK is a worthy compromise.
Really enjoy the SLK and you will too."

"Great fun car. When something goes wrong, however, it is expensive to fix. Runs and drives great, very good gas mileage (approximately 32 mpg on highway, 26 mpg in town). Handles very well and is very fun to drive. Trunk is small when top is down, but plenty big enough when the top is up. Not good for a bag of golf clubs."

Great Benz

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

9/10

Value

10/10

Reliability

10/10

Quality

9/10

Performance

9/10

Styling

9/10

Comfort

9/10

"I have had my 230 for a few years now. Great and fun car. Minimal problems with maintenance kept up. I would highly recommend this car. The 320 is much faster for not much more. If I had it to do over I would get the 320."